Trash fashion is clothing made from trash or recyclable materials. In 2015, I designed two dresses for a trash fashion show, hosted by the organization Trashion Fashion. The dresses were woven from plastic bags of many colors. Since then, I have researched more about trash fashion and pulled together a collection of designs on my Trashmagination Pinterest board about trash fashion. I have learned that plastic bags are probably the most common material used in trash fashion designs, and now I am intrigued with the idea of using a more original material for a future design.
You can listen to my podcast episode about Trash Fashion in this YouTube video. It originally aired in April 2017.
Hosting a trash fashion show is a great idea for community events, especially around Earth Day. Listen to this podcast for tips on how to run a successful event. Below are resources to help.
Here’s a link to my blog about sewing a fedora from lemonade crystal powder tubes.
Weaving the bodice of a trash fashion dressTrashmagination Checklist – Recommendations of Activities to Try Based on this Episode
- Look for a Trash Fashion Show near you – These are especially popular around Earth Day.
- Organize a Trash Fashion Show – This is a great way to engage your kids, your students and your community.
- Go beyond the obvious answer – Most trash fashion outfits tend to use similar materials, but some people really expand the boundaries by finding new materials. I hope that inspires you to seek a solution that outside the obvious in some area of your life.
Materials Often Incorporated into Trash Fashion Designs
Plastics
- plastic shopping bags & mesh vegetable bags
- CDs, DVDs, tape from video and music cassettes
- all kinds of flexible plastic food packaging such as juice pouches and chip bags
- six-pack rings
- plastic caps
- plastic bottles and cutlery
- vinyl records
- vinyl advertising banners and political lawn signs
- technotrash (parts of computers and phones)
- construction fencing and caution tape
- photographic slides and negatives
- small plastic toys & stuffed animals, including plastic dolls
- lids of dried up markers
- intravenous IV medication bottle caps
- straws
Metals
- bottle caps
- metal cutlery
- metal pull tabs from soda cans & pieces of the cans themselves cut into various shapes
- spent shotgun shells
- keys
- wire (often covered with colorful plastic or rubber)
- aluminum pans (tinfoil pans)
Paper and Cardboard
- cardboard egg cartons and boxes
- magazines, books, maps and newspapers
- playing cards
- tea bags
- programs from theater shows that are now over
- coffee cup insulation sleeves
Rubber and Cork
- inner tubes from tires
- balloons
- hoses
- wine corks
Fabric
- men’s ties
- seat belts
Other Fibers
- burlap rice bags
- nature items like pine cones, banana peels, orange peels, dried avocado peels
Trash Fashion Shows Around the World
Australia / New Zealand
- Wearable Art Mandurah (western Australia)
- New Zealand – http://trashfashionkaikoura.co.nz/
- Tasmania – Remade by Interweave Arts
Eastern United States
- Charlotte, North Carolina – https://charlotteseen.com/contributors/recyclable-designers/
- Charlotte, North Carolina – Opera Recycles and Paper Dreams at the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art
- Hartford, New York and Washington DC – https://www.trashionfashion.org
- Cambridge, Massachusetts – http://trashion.mit.edu/
- Recycled Runway, Corning, New York – http://www.earts.org/recycled-runway
- Orlando, Florida – http://www.cityoforlando.net/publicworks/keep-orlando-beautiful/trash-2-trends/
Central United States
- Bloomington, Indiana – http://bloomingtontrashion.weebly.com/
- Austin, Texas – http://www.trashmakeover.com/
Western United States
- Bend, Oregon – https://rubbishrenewed.com
- Portland, Oregon – http://junktofunk.org/ (on hiatus)
- Portland, Oregon – Shift by the Right Brain Initiative
- Santa Fe, New Mexico – https://www.recyclesantafe.org/
- RAGS Wearable Art Show and Sale – Fife, Washington – https://www.ywcapiercecounty.org/wearable-art-sale
- Port Townsend Wearable Art – https://www.ptwearableart.com/
- Kinetic Couture, Eureka, California – http://kineticgrandchampionship.com/kinetic-kouture
Europe
- Ireland – https://www.capartscentre.com/programmes/trash-fashion/
- Ireland – https://www.facebook.com/trashnfashion/
- Ireland – https://boijunkkouture.com/
- Macedonia – https://www.facebook.com/Trash-Fashion-Macedonia-365164750179771/
- Scotland – Junk Couture – https://junkkouture.co.uk/
- Denver, Colorado – Trash Fashion show as part of PrideFest – first one held in June 2018
Trash Fashion Designers
- Kristen Alyce – http://kristenalyce.com/, http://garbagegoneglam.com/
- Mary Ambrose and Paul Thomas – https://choose901.com/memphis-fashion-week-recycled/
- Sina Basila – https://www.sinabasila.co/
- Jacq Chorlton, Funkydory – http://www.funkydory.com.au/wearable-art.html
- Malou Cordery – http://maloustyle.com/
- Marina Debris – http://www.washedup.us/trashion.html – featured at Smithsonian Washed Ashore project
- FemmeGod – http://www.femmegod.com
- Nic Griffin – http://www.nicgriffin.com/
- Julionne Johnson – http://ripdesign.weebly.com/
- Nancy Judd from Recycle Runway – http://recyclerunway.com/
- Emily Kramer – http://www.emilykramerdesigns.com/
- Outi Les Pyy – https://www.instagram.com/outilespyy/
- Marion Macedo, Moda en Papel – Bolivian designer, https://www.facebook.com/marion.macedo
- Katrina Orsini – https://www.instagram.com/conceptualcouture/
- Valerie Pache – http://www.valeriepache.fr – made from paraglider sails
- Francis Sollano – http://francissollano.com/
- Robin Worley – http://www.hautetrash.org/rayona-visqueen-robin-worley/
Cool Video about Finnish trash fashion artist Outi Les Pyy
See the info about her Nespresso Dress
Show Details
- Script for this podcast episode about trash fashion (not a transcript but gives the main ideas)
- The Trashmagination podcast theme music is Kitchen from the Marian Circle Drum Brigade.